


Quick to Fall

by ace_corvid



Series: Quick to Fall Verse [1]
Category: Sanders Sides, Thomas Sanders
Genre: Enemies to Friends to Lovers, INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT PLATONIC RELATIONSHIPS, Kinda canon compliant, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, author does not know how to write romance, but gives it their best shot, dorky boys in love, not very, pining roman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 11:29:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14331495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ace_corvid/pseuds/ace_corvid
Summary: Virgil, jokingly: And remember, you’re not allowed to fall in love with me.Roman: Won’t be a problem.Roman, two days later in the middle of the night: THERE’S A PROBLEM-





	Quick to Fall

**Author's Note:**

> my only excuse is this post by @incorrect-sanders-sides-quotes:  
> https://incorrect-sanders-sides-quotes.tumblr.com/post/172971017549/virgil-jokingly-and-remember-youre-not-allowed  
> I hope you like it!!

Roman had a very strict view on love- love knew no bounds. You couldn’t put rules on love, on how you love, or on who you loved. As Roman embodied romanticsm, he didn’t have a type, and was open to a relationship with any man who could win his heart.

As it was, being a figment of Thomas’s imagination meant that these men were hardly showing up in droves. He only had the other sides.

Honestly, his relationship with the other sides was kind of rocky, given all their conflicting views for Thomas, but they were all trying their level best to repair it, especially after Anxiety- or rather, Virgil- joined their group. They were a united front, and Roman loved them all dearly, but it was platonic love- not the romantic love that he represented. Even so, Roman was enjoying spending more time with them and making an effort, trying hard not to make barbed comments that might upset the others- especially Virgil who he had actively disliked.

That was what led him to here;

_“Why are you being so nice to me?_

* * *

Patton had asked him to keep an eye on the food while he tried to drag Logan out of his study in the mindpalace for dinner, which didn’t take as long recently. When he had entered, he found Virgil setting plates out, ready to be served on. Roman had tried to start pleasant conversation, but he could see in retrospect that the sudden changes in his attitude towards him lately might have been jarring to the other side.

Roman didn’t blame Virgil for being suspicious, he supposed, as their relationship had always been antagonistic, but he was slightly miffed that his efforts weren’t being taken as genuine. Even so, this was an oppurtunity to fix that.

“Because I’m trying to be better Virgil.” Roman said softly. “I saw you as a villain, but things are not always simply black and white, or purely good and evil; I see that now. I judged you too quickly; I’m sorry for that, and I want to try to make an effort to fix it.”

“But you don’t like me.” Virgil pointed out, all too quickly. Roman bit his lip and looked Virgil in the eyes, hoping to convey his sincerity.

“I don’t _know_ you Virgil. How can I say I don’t like you, really, when we’ve never held a conversation that isn’t insults and arguing? The preconceptions I had of you were what I disliked, and you have proved to me that those preconceptions were false, so it stands to reason that we might really get along.” Roman said, in one breath. Virgil was looking at him funny, which made sense since Roman was aware he wasn’t exactly acting like his normal, flamboyant, egotistical self right now- but he wanted to be serious. As big an ego as he had, he knew when to admit he was sorry, and Virgil disappearing had been quite the reality check. Roman had never realized before what a balance they were. 

The silence was almost suffocating, so Roman deigned to speak again and attempt to break up the tension. “I am prince charming, afterall.” Roman said with a smile.

“Ok,” Virgil said sheepishly, his lips pursed, and doing that anxious tick Roman knew he had, where he rubbed the back of his neck. Thomas did it, which meant they all did. “I guess if you’re willing to try, I am too. I look forward to getting to know you.”

“That’s really great! But, I mean, how could you not want to get to know me?” Roman grinned widely, and beamed when Virgil chuckled quitely- short and breathless like he almost didn’t know quite how his own laughter worked.

“Just remember Princey- you’re not allowed to fall in love with me.” Virgil smirked, and Roman scoffed in turn.

“I don’t think that will be an issue.” He retorted, in good nature.

Patton had then bounced into the kitchen, Logan in tow, and they all quickly fell into conversation during dinner, Roman and Virgil’s encounter falling out of mind.

* * *

‘Ok,’ Roman thought to himself, painstakingly trying not to blush. ‘So it might be an issue.’

Roman could not stress how painful these last two days had been for him, because suddenly, as Virgil grew more amicable, and Roman started to see him as a friend, he also started to really see him.

And not to be a narcissist, but Virgil was _pretty_.

Roman was fundamentally aware that they all had the same face, but they were shapeshifters, and though the form they took on was Thomas, at the same time it was still _them._ There were subtle differences that weren’t just in clothing and personality that differentiated the sides, and though they might not look much to Thomas, or someone who constantly saw a wild variety of diverse people, to the sides, they were very significant, to the point where if Logan and Patton switched clothes, Roman could still tell which was which purely on aesthetics alone.

And Virgil was aesthetic indeed.

There was also the issue of how much Roman had come to enjoy making Virgil laugh in a short two day period. It started out as a way to break awkwardness and make Virgil feel more comfortable, but it had spiralled into loving it everytime he managed to crack the anxious side’s facade, almost like it was a game of how many giggles he could steal from Virgil.

Virgil was also surprisingly funny, and nice to hang out with, which he never could have guessed. Virgil was a pessimist and had a sharp tongue, and though when they were used against Roman these traits had always been infuriating, but when they were used in light context, or a humourus deadpan, they were interesting character traits, though everytime Virgil made a self-depreciating joke, Patton threatened to fight him, no matter where he was in the mind palace.

It seemed that just like he did when he was working to influence Thomas, when Roman fell, he fell _hard_. Roman lay in bed and simply tried not to scream into the pillow.

He was in love, the most wonderful, magical, enchanting phenomena in the world. _Great_.

* * *

Another day, another endless spiral of suffering for Roman.

See, now that Roman had noticed these things, there was no way to unnotice them, so now Roman was stuck in his own stupid thought processes. Everytime Virgil laughed, he couldn’t help but blush, and whenever Virgil did that little cocky smirk thing he did when he made a particularly good joke, Roman’s mouth went dry and he got that feeling you get whenever you go down on a rollercoaster, like you left your stomach behind before the drop. He managed to find even more things he liked about the side somehow, and it was only day 3. Roman was so screwed, if he said so himself. _Royally_ screwed, even.

They were sat in the common room in the mind palace, chatting avidly, sat on the two seater but sharing a couch cushion, a fact that Roman’s brain did not forget to scream at him mercilessly. Patton and Logan sat in the corner, idly watching the tv, with Patton throwing amused glances at Roman and Virgil, and Logan quietly glaring at them whenever they got too loud for the tv.

“I think I’m gonna go to my room and recharge a bit before dinner.” Virgil said quietly, but still smiling, like his mouth was aching from doing it so much. It probably was. “I’m still not used to this much interaction and it kinda takes it out of me.” Roman nodded and allowed Virgil the space to peel himself off the couch and stand up.

“As much as I’d love you to get some rest kiddo, don’t take a nap, we don’t want you having any trouble getting to sleep tonight, mmk?” Patton said warmly. Virgil nodded, and apparated to his room.

Roman promptly sank into the couch and screamed into the pillow.

“What’s up with you? I thought you’d be more positive about your newfound relationship with Virgil?” Logan asked, merely raising an eyebrow. Patton giggled knowingly- he was the heart afterall, it made sense that he’d know what’s going on.

“That’s the problem.” Roman said, muffled by the couch pillows. “It’s a bit too positive.”

“I don’t understand.” Logan admitted. He was becoming a bit more open to asking for help regarding feelings and emotions, and the others were all too ready to indulge him.

“I think Roman has a bit of a crush on our newest friend, Lo.” Patton supplied, and Roman merely groaned into the couch cushion in agreement.

“Ah. Feelings.” Logan said distastefully.

“I’m at a loss of what to do.” Roman said exasperatedly. “It’s far too early in our friendship to pursue any kind of romantic relationship, and I doubt he’d like me anyway given that we used to hate eachother.”

“It is a bit soon kiddo,” Patton agreed. “But you always have fallen fast.”

Roman somehow defied physics and slumped further into the couch.

* * *

A few weeks passed and Roman was faring no better. If anything he was doing worse, and god knows he was being unwillingly more blatant about it.

“Stop pining at the dinner table.” Logan said, one evening, after Virgil had left the table, and Patton had began doing dishes.

“Bite me, pocket calculator.” Roman mumbled, slightly flushing that he had been that obvious. The comment lacked any venom, but Roman still wanted the the subject dropped.

“Now this isn’t my forte, so correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that Virgil’s job?” Logan glared lazily.

Roman shrieked, and flung himself out of that particular realm of the mind palace, and into another- any other.

And of course, Roman found himself sitting in Virgil’s realm. The last time he had been in here had been to beg for Disney posters. Virgil looked up from the book he had been reading, draped across the couch and took out one of his headphones, cracking a smile. “Well, whatever that was looked dramatic.”

“Of course,” Roman agreed. “I’d settle for nothing less.”

“Can I help you with anything, Princey?” Virgil asked, gesturing around at his room. “This place is bad for you guys.”

“Logan said that’s only when there’s stimuli to make us anxious though, and Patton comes in here often enough, so agree to disagree.” Roman frowned. “If you don’t want me in here, you can just say. I won’t be offended.” And if he would be a little sad about it, that was for no one but him to know.

“It’s not that.” Virgil said quickly. “It’s just that you’ve been acting kind of... different lately, and I though you might be rethinking the whole friends thing now that you’ve actually gotten to know me.”

Ah, so he had noticed Roman being hopelessly whipped. But Roman’s heart ached to think that he had took his love as a rejection. 

“Hardly, Virgil. You’re amazing, simply put.” Roman said, a slight melancholy coating his words that Virgil easily picked up on.

“Then what is it?” Virgil asked, his voice barely a whisper with a sense of desperation.

Roman could easily have lied, and explained away his odd behaviour as quirkiness, but somehow he didn’t want to. He wanted Virgil to know, even though he was terrified of rejection. A quiet voice in the back of his mind reminded him that they were all, in a way Thomas, and though they were completely different from him, they were still the same. If he was quick to fall head over heels in love, and so was Thomas, then didn’t that mean that the others may too?

“I like you. I’ve been hopelessly pining for a while now, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Roman said, no theatrics or fancifulness, no prose or darling confessions, just the facts laid out bare for Virgil to see- no way to be overwhelmed, a quiet, subtle comfort. It went against what Roman would have wanted, but Virgil wasn’t Roman, and this was what he needed- that was more important, really.

“Oh.” Virgil said, frozen in shock.

“Oh.” Roman agreed, practically vibrating with nerves. Virgil got up slowly, his eyes never leaving Roman’s, his face betraying nothing.

“I thought I told you not to.” Virgil said with a small but genuine smile, taking Roman’s hand in his.

“Well,” Roman smirked, leaning in ever so slightly. “I’ve always been awful at following rules.”

Virgil closed the distance between them, placing his mouth chastely on Roman’s; sweetly kissing him before pulling back nervously. Roman was, admittedly, slightly dazed and full of love. Virgil, normally a raging storm, felt like the calm before it, and the tranquility of the smell of rain after a downfall. Roman couldn’t wait to find the eye of the hurricane, and risk the torrential weather in Virgil- he was worth it. Roman, lit with a passionate fire always, was content to let the rain turn him into smoke, for now.

“Truly, a rebel without a cause.” Virgil tried to deadpan, but his voice was giddly, and he was simultaneously attempting not to grin. They both gave way to laughter soon enough.

“You’re my cause, dear heart.”

* * *

If Thomas noticed Patton’s squeal or Logan’s knowing look when they showed up to the next video holding hands, he didn’t say anything.

**Author's Note:**

> I was a little worried my writing style made Roman feel a little OCC so give me feedback!! I appreciate every comment and kudos so much you have no idea and if you want to reblog it on tumblr it's here: https://ace-corvid.tumblr.com/post/172975141993/quick-to-fall  
> This is my first time writing for SS so sorry if it's bad lol


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